Aetna mailing to 647 in NJ may have exposed HIV status

Thousands of Aetna patients had their HIV status accidentally revealed in a major mailing mishap by Aetna.
Time

Aetna announced in August 2016 it would chop its participation in the Affordable Care Acts public exchanges by trimming its presence from 15 to four states for 2017. The nation’s third-largest insurer said a second-quarter pre-tax loss of $200 million from its individual insurance coverage helped it decide to limit exposure to the exchanges.(Photo: AP)

A mailing sent to about 647 Aetna health insurance subscribers in New Jersey may have inadvertently exposed their HIV status, the company said.

Aetna is notifying 647 residents that some of their personal health information may have been revealed in a mailing sent on July 28.

Aetna said it began receiving complaints from members on July 31 who noted that a reference to filling prescriptions for HIV medication was visible through the window of the mailing's envelope, in addition to their name and address.

"The company has confirmed that, based on the envelope used by the vendor that carried out the mailing, some members' personal health information may have been viewable under certain circumstances," the company said.

On August 2, Aetna determined the incident may have caused a breach of certain protected health information and is sending letters to affected members.

In a statement, the company apologized to members.

"Regardless of how this error occurred, it affects our members and it is our responsibility to do our best to make things right," said Cynthia Bates, vice president and chief privacy officer at Aetna. "This type of mistake is unacceptable, and we are undertaking a full review of our processes to ensure something like this never happens again."